THE family of a teenage girl who vanished on her way to the shops told of their worry.

Irina Cirpaci, 15, left her home in Govanhill, on Glasgow's south side, on Saturday morning to go to a supermarket.

But the Romanian girl never returned.

Last night, her father, Arcadie, 40, said: "We do not know what has happened.

"Irina is a very good girl and has never gone missing before or been in any kind of trouble.

"We are so worried - we feel terrible not knowing what has happened to Irina.

"If anyone knows where she is, we ask that they tell the police."

Irina's tearful mum Sorina, 36, said: "We pray for her return."

Police fear Irina may have got into a car and want to speak to anyone who saw her between Daisy Street, where she lives, and the Somerfield store in nearby Victoria Road.

Detective superintendent John Mitchell said: "One line of inquiry being pursued is that at some point on her route, she may have become engaged in conversation with a motorist and may have entered a vehicle.

"As time goes on, the young girl's family are becoming increasingly concerned for her safety and well-being.

"I am keen to speak to anyone who may have seen her get into a vehicle or who can assist police with their inquiries to get in touch as a matter of urgency."

Irina is 5ft 4in, slim with long brown hair and has a fair complexion.

She was wearing a red ankle-length skirt and a red long-sleeved top.

Irina, who has three sisters and a brother, came to Glasgow with her family in October from the town of Curtici in Romania.